Mussolini's Island: The Invasion of Sicily Through the Eyes of the People Who Witnessed the Campaign

A crack in ‘Fortress Europe’

Sicily was the Allies’ first assault on Hitler’s Europe. Based on in-depth interviews, as well as unpublished letters and diaries, Mussolini’s Island sweeps you across stormy seas and onto the landing beaches in the first D-Day. The invasion was to become the first crack in ‘Fortress Europe’, a full 11 months before the Normandy landings.

The Sicily campaign remains a lesser-known theatre of WW2, defined by both amazing success and near-disastrous foul-ups, but mainly by the intense rivalry between the two Allied commanders, Patton and Montgomery. It influenced German action at Kursk, as well as Allied strategy as a whole. This compulsively readable story of the terrible conflict focuses on the events as seen by participants.

From the tales of the otherwise faceless men and women, Sicilians, Germans, American’s and Italians, a Royal Navy Officer and a Spitfire Pilot, this book brings home the impact of Hitler and Mussolini on ordinary lives.

Features:
- The planning
- The invasion
- The protagonists
- The fall of Mussolini and the aftermath

John Follain
Hardcover 350 pages 2005